Hop to It

While slowly recovering from back surgery, Jimmy Sellars created a series of digital sketches on an iPad that he describes as “humans either turned into rabbits, for no apparent reason, or wearing prosthetics to turn them into a rabbit.” The darkly whimsical personification refers to Rabbit's iconic connection to the...

By Susan Froyd

June 16, 2011

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While slowly recovering from back surgery, Jimmy Sellars created a series of digital sketches on an iPad that he describes as “humans either turned into rabbits, for no apparent reason, or wearing prosthetics to turn them into a rabbit.” The darkly whimsical personification refers to Rabbit's iconic connection to the underworld, and, by default, the art of “knowing how to get around in the dark and being comfortable traveling in unmarked territory.” As Sellars notes, “Rabbit does not need an outside source to illuminate his way.”

That’s a perfect metaphor for recovery and the art of adjustment, exercised with wit and a fair amount of humor and irony, and presented in Jimmy Sellars: My Year as a Rabbit Part 1, an exhibit that opens tonight in the North Gallery of Spark Gallery.

While Sellars is an invitee, Spark artists Sue Simon and Susan Rubin have their own shows that are different animals entirely: Simon paints orderly abstract explorations of motion in time, while Rubin draws vibrant contemporary botanical illustrations. All three exhibits open today at Spark, 900 Santa Fe Drive, with a reception for the artists from 6 to 9 p.m. tomorrow; an artist talk from 1 to 4 p.m. on June 19 will coincide with the shows' closings. For more information, go to www.sparkgallery.com or call 720-889-2200.
May 26-June 19, 2011

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Susan Froyd started writing for Westword as the "Thrills" editor in 1992 and never quite left the fold. These days she still freelances for the paper in addition to walking her dogs, enjoying cheap ethnic food and reading voraciously. Sometimes she writes poetry.

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